Why do you Care?
by CrazyDreamer95
Summary: For the last ten years, Lexa had been her mum's primary carer. Cracking under the pressure of caring for her mum, going to uni, and working a part time job, she hires a personal carer. Lexa expects a middle aged woman with four children, but is pleasantly surprised when she meets Clarke Griffin. RATING CHANGE IN LATER CHAPTERS
1. Chapter 1

**AN –** Hey all, this is my first fic for The 100, and my first AU in a while! The story was inspired by my own experiences as a disability support worker. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! Any feedback is welcome. Hoping to update weekly.

* * *

'Trained personal carer working with agency, currently seeking employment – please contact if interested'

Lexa Woods paused at the noticeboard outside the café at the university she attended. She tended to glance over the ads while waiting for her toasted sandwich at lunch, though nothing usually caught her eye. The advertisements were always the same – seeking participants for research, advertising rooms for rent, selling second hand books, meeting locations for the Spanish club, nothing out of the ordinary and nothing of interest. Until today.

For the last ten years Lexa had been her mum's primary carer. Confined to a wheelchair due to a genetic disorder, Annette Woods' physical condition was deteriorating by the week. There was no treatment, no cure, nothing to slow down the process. For the last five years the aim of Annette's care was to reduce pain and discomfort by maintaining a strict pain management routine. There was nothing that could be done, and Lexa knew that it was just a matter of time before the disease claimed her mum.

It was becoming difficult to care for her mum, although Lexa would not admit that to anybody who asked, or offered help. She had cared for her by herself for this long, and had intended to for as long as possible. With her work at the local cinema and classes almost everyday, she was struggling to provide the care she felt her mum deserved. Lexa was always home in the morning to get Annette out of bed, shower and dress her, fix her breakfast and lunch, before heading out. She was always home to watch some TV with her in the evening, eat dinner together, administer her medication, and get her into bed. She was always there. No matter how busy her life seemed to be, Lexa always made sure she found time to help her mum.

At this moment in time, hiring a carer would help a lot. It would mean that Annette would have someone there during the day if she needed help, and could get out of the house to socialise. It would mean that Lexa might be able to have respite for one day a week. It would change their lives.

Lexa slumped her shoulders and let out a long sigh, the stressors of the week catching up with her. Perhaps it was time to reach out for help. She pulled off a tab with a name and phone number on it and slipped it into her pocket.

She would contact the person tonight.

' _Please don't be a serial killer.'_

* * *

Clarke opened the door to her apartment and dropped her bag to the floor with a frustrated grunt.

"What's got you down in the dumps?" Her roommate Raven asked, glancing up from the textbook sitting on her lap. Clarke grabbed an apple from the bench and sat down next to Raven, peeling the sticker off and placing it on her arm.

The two girls had met during the first week at university. Clarke was sitting in a lecture when Raven came limping in late, took the first seat next to Clarke, and quickly pulled out her notebook. Half an hour later Raven had tapped Clarke's shoulder and whispered "this is not my subject…this is not fundamental of engineering." While some people may have found the experience daunting and embarrassing, Raven had taken it in her stride and sat through the whole lecture taking notes, claiming that if she were there, she may as well learn something. Clarke had no idea that morning that she would meet her future best friend that day.

"I spent the whole day putting flyers around uni" she responded in between mouthfuls of apple. "Since I was taken off of Robyn's service, I've been getting less than 12 hours of work a week. I need a new client."

"So you thought putting up flyers was the best idea?" Raven turned to her friend and raised an eyebrow "you do realise that people will probably think you're a serial killer or something?"

Clarke groaned and sunk back into the coach, resting her feet on the coffee table "I honestly don't care what people think, I am so desperate. Besides, if anybody contacts me I'll just take my resume, then they can contact the agency and learn that I am not a serial killer."

Clarke had been working part time as a personal carer while she studied art history at university. Her mum had pushed for medical school, professing that Clarke had the knowledge, dedication and prestige to become a doctor. However, Clarke knew that art was her true passion, and that she would be happy doing nothing else. Still, Clarke enjoyed personal caring – she found it rewarding to be able to help people who weren't in a situation to be able to help themselves. Unfortunately, work had been slow lately. A month ago she was taken off the service of a regular client, Robyn for reasons unknown to her. Another client had hired a live in nurse, so didn't need personal care as often as before, and another was cutting back her hours because she couldn't afford Clarke.

If it weren't for Raven working two jobs, there would be no way the pair could afford rent. Money was getting thin though, and they both knew they couldn't live day to day much longer. If worst came to the worst, Clarke knew she could ask her mum for some financial assistance, but also knew that the help would not be given without a stern talking to about "managing time" and "working below your potential".

Clarke picked up one of her textbooks from the coffee table and was opening it when her phone rang. Not recognising the number, she swiped to answer and lifted the phone to her ear – "hello?"

"Hello, is this Clarke Griffin?" The person on the other line asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.

"Yes it is, who's speaking?"

"My name is Lexa Woods, I'm calling in response to your advertisement – I was wondering if you were still looking for work?"


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Hey all, I tried to get this up earlier in the week but was busy with work and uni. But it's here. Thanks everyone for the kudos and comments - I really appreciate the feedback :D Also, a condition is mentioned in this chapter, Friedreich's Ataxia. This is a rare neurological condition with no treatment or cure. One of my client's has lived with the condition for more than 30 years now, so what I'm writing in terms of the caring process is based upon what I've learnt getting to know her in the last year.  
Hope you like it :)

* * *

Clarke had been waiting at the café for approximately half an hour when a young brunette walked through the door. She held her breath, hoping that this was the elusive Lexa Wood, and sighed in disappointment when the girl greeted another man and sat down with him. At the table behind her, Clarke heard Raven stifle a laugh. She turned around and shot her a glare, to which Raven responded by raising her hands in surrender.

"You know, you didn't need to come with me" Clarke hissed, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Well sorry for trying to keep you from getting murdered" Raven responded, raising the book she was reading to cover her face, effectively cutting short their conversation.

Clarke ran a hand through her hair and rested her elbows on the table. She had agreed to meet Lexa at a café a short distance from uni at 2pm. It was now 2.25pm and there was no sign of her prospective employer anywhere.

"I'll give it five more minutes" she mumbled to herself, taking the last sip of her coffee "then we're out of here."

* * *

Lexa was meant to leave work at 1pm. That was when she was rostered to end and she had never finished any later than rostered. Of course sometimes things don't go the way you plan.

Of course the day that she had to leave on time was the one day that somebody passed out in the cinema.

Of course Lexa was the only first aid officer on shift.

So of course now Lexa was running late to a very important meeting. She had asked Clarke Griffin to meet her at 2pm. Running down the street and glancing at her watch, she cursed when she saw it was 2.26pm. She didn't even pause when she reached the café, merely ran up to the door and pushed it open, standing for a moment inside to catch her breath and look around.

A blonde sitting at a table looking bored looked up hopefully with a small smile.

"Lexa?" She asked, moving to stand up.

Lexa walked forward, her hand outstretched and reaching for Clarke's. "Yes, I'm Lexa. You must be Clarke" she pulled a seat out across from the other girl and sat down wearily. "I must apologise for my tardiness – there was an emergency at work that needed to be taken care of."

"That's not a problem – these things happened" Clarke said, waving a hand dismissively. "Would you like a coffee? I mean, I've already had two today so I could go for another one, and you look like you need something to keep you going."

Lexa smirked, imagining how dishevelled she must've looked – surely there were stray hairs escaping from her neat ponytail, her eyeliner was probably smudged, and her face red from the run over. She stood up and took her purse out of her small backpack. "What are you drinking?"

* * *

The first thing that Lexa learnt about Clarke was that she probably had the world's most bubbly personality. She spoke a lot with her hands, and seemed to ramble and go off topic sometimes. But she was always smiling. Clarke had the type of smile that reached her eyes and made her entire body light up with joy.

"So I've been a personal carer for about a year now" Clarke said, swirling what was left of her coffee around. "I work with an agency but they haven't been given me many hours lately, and to be honest I got pretty desperate."

"I was curious as to why you had put flyers up in the community" Lexa replied, a small grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "I assume you have the correct documentation and qualifications?"

"Yes!" Clarke quickly pulled a manila folder from her backpack and opened it up in front of her, handing Lexa a piece of paper at a time. "Ok so we have my first aid certificate, CPR certificate, certificate 4 in disability support services, my CV, and a list of references from previous clients and my agency."

Lexa took the papers and started reading through them. On first impressions, Clarke seemed like the type of person who would be perfect for Annette Woods. She was smart, funny, engaging, had plenty of experience, and could crack a joke at the right moment. "I'll have a talk to mum about all of this tonight. We're kind of new to the whole process of finding a carer."

Not at all phased, Clarke smiled before responding "no problem, take your time. These things are important to think through, but I just want you to know that I will take care of your mum to the best of my abilities."

Lexa raised her head and was shocked by the emotion etched into Clarke's features. "She's not getting any better" Lexa blurted out in a rush "and I don't know what to do anymore."

For a moment, Lexa sat stunned by her outpouring of emotion. She was not usually like this, having developed a strong grasp on her emotions after learning the extent of her mum's disability. In silence, Clarke reached across the table and gently placed her hand on Lexa's arm, soft enough to remind her that she was not alone. "That's where I come in."

* * *

"It's just me mum!" Lexa called out as she stepped into the house. It was a small three bedroom house on half a block. Her parents had purchased the house a year after Lexa was born – just two months before Annette started showing symptoms of Friedreich's Ataxia, a genetic disease causing progressive damage to the nervous system. Her father had left soon after the diagnosis. For the most part of Lexa's life, her mum had been in a wheelchair. Prior to that she used a walking frame and would walk Lexa to school. Once she was in the wheelchair, she would sit the small girl on her lap to make a game out of her deteriorating condition. Now she had trouble even standing from her wheelchair to transfer to the toilet.

It was hard to watch. It was hard for Lexa to get up everyday knowing that any day could be her mum's last. Her Uncle Gustus had lived with the same condition. One night during his sleep his heart just stopped. That was the insidious thing about Friedreich's Ataxia, there was no way of knowing when it would take you.

Lexa could hear the creaking of wheels from the other end of the house followed by "down here Lexa."

"Sorry I'm late mum" Lexa apologised as she leant down to drop a kiss on Annette's cheek. "I had to meet up with someone after work."

Annette grinned and clumsily lifted a hand to her daughter's cheek "no need to apologise. You need to have a life too."

Lexa sat down and took a calming breath "actually mum, there's something I need to talk to you about."

* * *

"I'll just teach her what to do" Lexa explained as she grasped her mum's hips and helped lift her from the wheelchair onto her bed. "She's already got experience and she seems very kind."

On autopilot, Lexa bent down and held onto Annette's ankles, carefully swinging them over the top of the bed side-rail, before twisting her hips so she was lying straight in bed. Annette smiled as Lexa pushed her up the bed and started handing her everything she would need for the night.

"I think a carer would be a great idea" Annette said, taking her iPad with shaky hands and placing it on her lap. "It would give you some time to look after yourself, maybe even go out every once in a while, do thinks normal twenty year olds do."

"I am a normal twenty year old, mum" Lexa sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Annette's legs to help relieve the pain that came at night.

Annette chuckled and swatted Lexa on the arm "no you're not. Most twenty year olds don't stay in every night to look after their disabled mum. Most twenty year olds don't stay home during the holidays to keep their mum company. Most twenty year olds don't-"

"Ok mum" Lexa interrupted with a smirk "so I'm not like most other twenty year olds. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy my life. You know that I chose to do this. Nobody forced me."

"And I love you impossibly more every single day" Annette raised her arms for a hug that Lexa easily fell into. "Goodnight, you go get some rest now."

That night as Lexa sat on her bed, she couldn't help but wonder how much Clarke Griffin could change their lives. With the thought of peace on her mind, she slept through the night for the first time in months.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN -** Sorry for the delayed upload everybody. Hope you all had a great weekend, any feedback is greatly appreciated.

* * *

"That went well" Clarke said, breaking the silence in the apartment. Raven smirked and twirled some spaghetti around her fork.

"I still get this feeling she could be a serial killer" she mused, squaring her features when Clarke choked back a laugh. "I'm serious! The way she was looking at some people – I swear if looks could kill."

"She's got a lot going on Raven" Clarke sighed and rested her head in her hands "I think I'm going to take the job. I'm meeting her mum tomorrow morning to see if she likes me, and if all goes well I'll be working by Saturday."

The two girls finished their dinner in relative silence, chit chatting about their days, with Raven complaining about a major assignment she had to finish by midnight that she hadn't started yet. It amazed Clarke how Raven always seemed to be able to get good grades, despite the fact that she rarely studied and would complete all of her assignments at the last minute. That was the beauty of having a natural knack for something. Learning came relatively easy for Raven. Clarke on the other hand had always struggled with understanding and retaining information. This was why she enjoyed being able to paint. It was something that came naturally to her.

Clarke lay on her bed, her head propped up slightly by her hands resting behind her. In her mind she ran through potential scenarios for meeting Annette Woods tomorrow.

She could be a serial killer using her beautiful daughter Lexa to bring innocent young victims to her house

She was a grumpy woman who did not want to accept help

There would be nothing Clarke could do help, and she would just have to sit there and hope for the best

Clarke would discover that she was far out of her range of experience and would not be able to provide the level of care required

Or

Everything would go perfectly and Clarke would have a new client by the weekend.

Only time would tell.

* * *

Lexa woke up at 7.30am on the dot. She sat up in bed and grabbed the bottle of water by her bedside table, taking a couple of large gulps to help wake her up. Standing up, she did some light stretching, rolling her shoulders and reaching down to touch her toes. If there was one thing she learnt over the years, it was that having warmed up muscles helped a great deal when caring for someone.

Of course Lexa had learnt this the hard way.

She grimaced when she twisted and felt a twinge in her lower back, an injury that occurred when turning her body incorrectly while transferring Annette from the bed to the wheelchair.

Picking up her iPod, she walked to the bathroom across the hall from her bedroom and began to undress, neatly placing her pyjamas in a pile by the sink. She hooked up her iPod to the speakers she left in there and picked her 'shower' playlist. Stepping into the shower, she sighed from the instant relief of warm water running down her back, instantly soothing the ache.

For three minutes she sang along to Led Zeppelin and lost herself in the tranquillity of being alone. It was only in the shower that Lexa allowed her shoulders to slump and her calm façade to fade. Even if it was only for three minutes, a moment of weakness and emotion was better than none at all.

* * *

Clarke raised her fist and knocked on the door, checking the address Lexa had given her for what felt like the 100th time. She nervously shuffled on her feet and glanced around at her surroundings. The property was modest. There was a small front yard with a garden bed running along the window to the left of the door. The concrete on the driveway was faded and cracking from age and heat. Leaning next to the door was a pushbike, rust beginning to collect on the spokes and handlebars. A ramp had been installed by the door, but looked like it was not used regularly judging by the lack of wear.

Clarke pulled back her shoulders and plastered a smile on her face when she heard footsteps approaching the door.

"Good morning Clarke" Lexa greeted as she held the door open for her to walk in "I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"Morning – no need to apologise. Shoes off?" she asked, already toeing off her black tennis shoes.

Lexa nodded and seemed to shuffle anxiously on the spot. "Mum's excited to meet you. I told her about you and she has read through your CV. Today she'll mainly just want to tell you a bit about her condition, and gage whether you feel you will be able to cope ok."

"Awesome" Clarke responded, nodding her head in agreement.

"Ok, well" Lexa clasped her hands in front of her before gesturing down a hallway. "Shall we?"

* * *

Annette was waiting for the two girls in the lounge room, her wheelchair positioned to face the couch. She turned and smiled with welcome when they entered the room and started to wheel towards Clarke.

"Hi" she greeted, slowly lifting her hand out to grasp Clarke's. "I'm Annette, it's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine" Clarke responded, noticing how limp and heavy Annette's arm felt "I'm Clarke Griffin, thank-you so much for this opportunity."

"Take a seat" Annette said, her aim flailing slightly as she gestured towards the couch. She waited for Clarke and Lexa to sit before she began. "So I'm going to get straight into it. We don't do bullshit in this house. I prefer the 'quick like a bandaid' approach."

Clarke couldn't help but laugh "I appreciate straightforwardness and not beating around the bush."

"I like you already" Annette smiled and continued "has Lexa told you much about my condition?"

Lexa shook her head and answered, "no mum, I thought I would leave that up to you, you are the expert after all."

"Ok, so I have a disease known as Friedreich's Ataxia, chances are you've never heard of it. It's pretty rare. It's a neurological condition that is progressively damaging my nervous system. It starts with balance and coordination problems, eventually progressing to the inability to walk, the loss of fine and then gross motor skills, heart disease, and diabetes. I was diagnosed when I was 27. Lexa was very young" Annette took a calming breath and smiled at her daughter. "She's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

"Mum-" Lexa tried to cut in, a faint blush rising on her cheeks.

"No Lexa I'm serious." Annette turned back to Clarke and said "Lexa has cared for me every single day for the last ten years. If it wasn't for her, I would've been in a nursing home years ago. She's always helping me with my physical therapy and is my encouragement to get out of bed every morning."

"It sounds like you do quite a lot" Clarke commented to Lexa "where do you find the hours in the day to do so much?"

"She works herself near to death, that's how she finds the hours!" Annette joked, though Clarke could sense a hint of seriousness in her tone. "I can't remember the last time she went out with friends."

"I went out just last week with friends" Lexa attempted to defend herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No" Annette disagreed, shaking her head with a laugh "you went to the pharmacy to pick up my scripts and you just so happened to bump into Anya while you were there."

Lexa huffed "whatever."

"Well I'll be happy to help out" Clarke offered, glancing between the two other women "if you would like me, that is."

Annette lent forward to grasp one of Clarke's hands, while the other held onto the arm rest on the wheelchair for balance. "We would love to have you. But the question is – do you think you can handle this?"

Clarke didn't even think twice before she nodded – "yes, I reckon I can."

Annette grinned and leant back in her chair, while Lexa let out of breath she didn't realise she was holding.

It was Lexa who broke the silence, looking at Clarke for the first time since she arrived, "welcome to the mad house."

* * *

Lexa had only just left the room to make her mum a cup of tea when Annette turned to Clarke, her expression devoid of the laughter that was emitted only moments ago.

"I'm dying Clarke" she stated simply, holding up a hand when Clarke opened her mouth to apologise. "I'm dying and there's nothing that I can do about that. It's only a matter of time now, it's a miracle I made it this far. I can see it starting though – my brother had the same condition, and I remember when he started to deteriorate. I can see it in myself. I've accepted it." She sighed and glanced towards the kitchen where the kettle boiled loudly, leaving Lexa completely in ignorance of the conversation. "Lexa will struggle. I'm all she has. I know that it's asking a lot, but you two are around the same age and go to the same university. Is there any chance that you could get to know her a bit? Just so she knows that she's not alone. Because I worry about her a lot. She went through a very rough couple of years and I almost lost her. I can't have her alone in this, because she will lose herself."

Clarke contemplated the proposal. She had only known Lexa for two days and had yet to form an opinion about her. She seemed tense and withdrawn, her smile never seeming to reach her eyes. For a fleeting moment the thought ran through her mind to stand up and walk away. Then she saw the desperate look in Annette's eyes.

"I don't know what else to do" she admitted, barely above a whisper.

"I'll do it" Clarke responded, nodding slowly and taking in what she had just committed to.

' _I just have to make friends with her'_ she thought _'shouldn't be hard'_


End file.
